TSA Threatens Bloggers Over Memo – Federal agents threatened two bloggers over publishing the new security directive sent to all airports after the Christmas Crotchbomber incident.
Bloggers Chris Elliott and Steven Frischling separately published TSA Security Directive 1544-09-06 dated December 25, 2009 here and here because it included a list of the new restrictions on passengers aboard flights traversing U.S. airspace.
In typical TSA fashion, they go all Orwellian on the pilots and instruct them to no longer make any in-flight announcements about where the aircraft is currently located within U.S. airspace, even as it approaches its destination.
The bloggers were issued subpoenas and quizzed relentlessly about their sources for the TSA security directive.
The TSA, of course, distributed their latest set of security instructions to every airport in the world and ordered their dissemination to everyone remotely involved with airport or airline security, which is well in excess of 10,000 people outside the Federal government.
And of course, the TSA failed to issue clear directions to passengers on what to expect in the way of new security measures at the same time, so many news organizations were reporting bits and pieces of the new directive, just not the entire document.
In the wake of the failed attack, the TSA was criticized for issuing a vague statement about additional screening measures, without offering details — causing confusion for millions of holiday travelers.
It appears to have been a desire to clear up this confusion that prompted both bloggers to publish the directive.
Elliott wrote that he was posting the document “since the government has been unresponsive to my requests to clarify its new security measures.”
Frischling wrote that he posted it on his blog for KLM Dutch Royal Airlines “[b]ecause following the failed terrorist attack on the 25th of December there was a lot of confusion and speculation surrounding changes in airline & airport security procedures.”
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